Squash N’ Wheat Blender Pancakes

Like I said in my last posting, I’ve got summer squash growing like crazy in my garden, so I had to find another way to sneak the stuff into my kids’ diet, since they refuse to eat actual, visible pieces of squash or zucchini! So yesterday, I invented these lovely, whole wheat summer squash/zucchini pancakes:

Using summer squash gave these pancakes a beautiful golden color, and using the blender to grind my wheat made them super-healthy AND super easy, because I didn’t have to haul out the wheat grinder!

Here’s the recipe:

• 1/2 cup of whole wheat grains
• 1/2 cup of oat groats, kamut, or spelt grains
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 large summer squash (or zucchini) quartered, with the seeds scraped out
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp salt
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (for thicker, fluffier pancakes, use Rumford baking powder. See note, below)

Directions:

Place wheat, oat grains, and milk in the blender. (Note: you can also just use one full cup of wheat, but the pancakes won’t be as soft if you do)

Can you tell the difference? Oat groats on the left, wheat berries on the right!

Blend on high speed for two minutes. The resulting batter will be pretty thick:

Then add your quartered summer squash or zucchini pieces:

And blend on high speed for another minute or so. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT baking powder. Blend to combine, then add in baking powder last of all and blend for another minute. If you are using Rumford baking powder,  the batter will visibly puff up and rise to the top of the blender. This makes the pancakes softer and fluffier than white flour pancakes, so kids will never notice the whole grains!

Pour batter onto hot griddle, and turn after bubbles start to appear on the surface:

The resulting pancakes look so yummy that your kids will never know that they’re loaded with veggies and whole grains:

These pancakes tasted so good that my eleven month-old devoured them, even WITHOUT syrup! 🙂